Saturday, September 29, 2012

South Sudan to Disengage Divisions 9, 10; Oil Companies Directed to Prepare for Oil Pumping
Khartoum – President of the Republic, Field Marshal Omer Al Bashir arrived in Khartoum airport yesterday evening accompanied by Sudan's delegation to the Addis Ababa peace talks.
Upon arrival, Al Bashir addressed the mass rally, affirming that the deal represents an end to all disputes between the two countries because there is a concrete base and mechanisms to resolve any future disputes.
He added that the relations of the two countries' people will become as they were before secession, and the borders will be flexible to accommodate both sides' interests.
He disclosed that the deal included all outstanding issues and is the actual start of peace between Sudan and South Sudan. He pointed out that President Salva Kiir was honest and keen to sign the deal, expressing seriousness in its implementation.
Al Bashir emphasized Sudan's friendly relations with all its neighbouring countries, South Sudan, Chad, Libya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Eritrea and Central African Republic. He lauded the great efforts of the AUHIP, the late Ethiopian Premier, Meles Zenawi, and the government and people of Ethiopia to achieve peace between the two countries.
Staff Lieutenant General Abdul-Rahim Mohamed Hussein, the Minister of Defense, announced that Sudan and South Sudan agreed to disengage Divisions 9 and 10 in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. He added that technical mechanisms will meet when the necessary arrangements to carry out the decision are made.
Speaking on a radio show on Friday, the minister said Sudan and South Sudan reached agreements on oil, the economy, trade, borders, banking transactions and the demarcation of (five areas). “We hope they will be settled within five months.”
Hussein said the Abyei issue is complicated and will take more time due to its procedures; however, both countries have agreed to continue dialogue on it.
“The provision of political will in the countries and sincere implementation of the agreement is necessary for relations between the countries to enter a new stage characterized by understanding, cooperation and friendship deeply rooted in the countries,” the minister said.

Omer Al Bashir

Speaking on security arrangements, the minister said Khartoum and Juba reached a non-aggression deal that included a 10 km buffer zone on each side of the border. He added that they agreed on specific mechanisms to monitor and investigate allegations and violations by both parties in order to prevent the governments from giving logistic support and accommodation to rebel movements. Both sides must immediately withdraw from occupied lands and activate the agreed-upon monitoring mechanisms.
Hussein said the countries made special arrangements for the Mile 14 region which constituted a problem on the African Union’s map. The issue was concluded by stipulating it will retain its prior status as a disarmed, peaceful region of intercommunication.
The head of Government’s delegation to the Addis Ababa negotiations, Idriss Mohamed Abdel-Gadir, said oil companies in Sudan and South Sudan will be ordered to immediately resume pumping oil via Sudan; all details regarding oil transit through Sudan have been resolved. He noted that Ministers of Trade and central banks of both countries will meet soon to arrange to implement trade between the countries that has been agreed upon. Abdel-Gadir added that the political and security committee will also meet soon to make final arrangements to implement a security deal between the countries. He said the sides agreed on financial matters related to oil transit fees, the administrative aspect of transferring money from central bank in Juba to central bank in Khartoum and transitional financial arrangements for the estimated US $3028 million that Government of South Sudan will pay in three years.
Al-Zubair Ahmed Al-Hassan, a member of the negotiating delegation, said that oil transit fees were set at $15 per barrel to be paid within a period not exceeding 40 days from the arrival of the barrel in Port Sudan when Government will send invoices. He added that the two sides agreed on $9,1 for Nile Blend and $11 for Petrodar blend as treatment fees at Jebelain and Heglig. He stated that in the case South Sudan does not pay fees within 60 days, Sudan reserves the right to extract its dues from South Sudan oil. The agreement also specified ways to transfer these amounts to any accounts in the currency Sudan demands.
US President Barack Obama welcomed the agreement between Sudan and South Sudan on many decisive issues. In a White House statement White House, Obama said the agreement represents a crucial development to resolve outstanding economic and security issues in Sudan and South Sudan.
British Secretary of Foreign Office William Hague also welcomed the agreement, regarding it a “mark of identification” towards resolving differences that will build constructive, good, neighbourly relations.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said in a statement that the Sudan and South Sudan accords "provide vital elements in building a strong foundation for a stable and prosperous future between the two countries."
The UN Chief also praised President Omar Al Bashir of Sudan and President Salva Kiir of South Sudan "for demonstrating the statesmanship that made a comprehensive agreement possible, and for having once again chosen peace over war."
Qatar also hailed the Sudan and South Sudan accords. A source at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed hope that the accords will contribute to solving the remaining issues between the countries. The sources commended the efforts of Ethiopia and the African Union to make the agreement happen.
In addition, Egypt congratulated the peoples and Governments of Sudan and South Sudan. While speaking before a consultative forum on Sudan and South Sudan attended by UN Chief Ban Ki-Moon, the Head of African Union Commission Jan Ping held during UN General Assembly meetings in New York, Egyptian Foreign Minister said: “This day is a great day in the history of the two countries.”

Thursday, September 27, 2012

"ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — The leaders of Sudan and South Sudan have reached nine agreements but did not work out the issues surrounding the contested Abyei region or the demarcation of their shared border.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir said the two countries would sign a "protocol of collaboration" on Thursday.

Atif Kiir, a South Sudan spokesman, said late Wednesday that Sudan President Omar al-Bashir and Kiir agreed on economic issues and a buffer zone between their borders to allow oil exports.

Kiir said that oil exports - which South Sudan shut down earlier this year - would resume and that only "technical work" remains.

South Sudan broke free from Sudan in July, 2011 in a referendum that has put an end to one of the region's deadliest and longest conflicts."

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The plan of Zenawie and Kenya to cut Sudan out and keep Somalia in turmoil is cleaning out after the death of the notorious dictator's death.

The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan have resolved to end their differences over oil production, a move that could rule out Kenya’s plans to erect a new refinery in Lamu to refine South Sudan oil. The two presidents, Omar al-Bashir and his South Sudan counterpart Salva Kiir, who met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this week, are understood to have agreed to set up a framework that would see South Sudan resume pumping oil to the north for refining at Port Sudan. Both declined to give any details to the media, although they acknowledged that their respective technical teams had instructions to complete a deal by next week.

“We look forward to celebration very soon,” Salva Kiir said as he left the conference centre in Addis Ababa.

Juba stopped pumping petroleum in January after accusing Khartoum of stealing its oil, leaving the two countries’ economies limping. The two nearly went to war in April over differences over their common border, oil revenues and ownership of the disputed region of Abyei where much of the oil is located.

As a way out, Juba struck a deal with Kenya to establish a refinery and a pipeline to Lamu. That development now appears unlikely - the UN has threatened sanctions if the current talks fail.

The two Sudans separated in July 2011, with Juba inheriting two-thirds of the region’s oil while Khartoum retained the processing and export facilities. The deal with Kenya was bound to cripple Khartoum’s economy, hence the talks. To complicate Kenya’s chances, its current oil exploration activities in the Turkana area have yielded too little oil to justify the construction of a refinery in Lamu.

About Me

Prof. Muse Tegegne has lectured sociology Change & Liberation in Europe, Africa and Americas. He has obtained Doctorat es Science from the University of Geneva. A PhD in Developmental Studies & ND in Natural Therapies. He wrote on the problematic of the Horn of Africa extensively. He Speaks Amharic, Tigergna, Hebrew, English, French. He has a good comprehension of Arabic, Spanish and Italian.